Zachary L Lukowski
· MD Clinical Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Florida · Ophthalmology
Active 2010–2020
About
Zachary L Lukowski is a faculty member associated with the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. The page does not provide specific details about his research focus, background, or key contributions. The information available primarily describes the department's glaucoma service, clinical care, and educational environment, but does not include personal or professional biography details of Dr. Lukowski.
Research topics
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- Chemistry
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
- Cell biology
- Bioinformatics
- Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Cancer research
- Internal medicine
Selected publications
Serum Glycoproteomic Alterations in Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy
Proteomes · 2020 · 13 citations
- Medicine
- Immunology
- Bioinformatics
The precise molecular mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy (DR) pathogenesis are unclear, and treatment options are limited. There is an urgent need to discover and develop novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of this disease. Glycosylation is a post-translational modification that plays a critical role in determining protein structure, function, and stability. Recent studies have found that serum glycoproteomic changes are associated with the presence or progression of several inflammatory diseases. However, very little is known about the glycoproteomic changes associated with DR. In this study, glycoproteomic profiling of the serum of diabetic patients with and without DR was performed. A total of 15 glycopeptides from 11 glycoproteins were found to be significantly altered (5 upregulated and 10 downregulated) within the serum glycoproteome of DR patients. These glycoproteins are known to be involved in the maintenance of the extracellular matrix and complement system through peptidolytic activity or regulation.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science · 2020 · 15 citations
- Cell biology
- Chemistry
- Cancer research
Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication caused by prolonged hyperglycemia and characterized by leaky retinal vasculature and ischemia-induced angiogenesis. Vitreous humor is a gel-like biofluid in the posterior segment of the eye between the lens and the retina. Disease-related changes are observed in the biochemical constituents of the vitreous, including proteins and macromolecules. Recently, we found that IL-6 trans-signaling plays a significant role in the vascular leakage and retinal pathology associated with DR. Therefore, in this study, comprehensive proteomic profiling of the murine vitreous was performed to identify diabetes-induced alterations and to determine effects of IL-6 trans-signaling inhibition on these changes. Methods: Vitreous samples from mice were collected by evisceration, and proteomic analyses were performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results: A total of 154 proteins were identified with high confidence in control mice and were considered to be characteristic of healthy murine vitreous fluid. The levels of 72 vitreous proteins were significantly altered in diabetic mice, including several members of heat shock proteins, 14-3-3 proteins, and tubulins. Alterations in 52 out of 72 proteins in diabetic mice were mitigated by IL-6 trans-signaling inhibition. Conclusions: Proteomic analysis of murine vitreous fluid performed in this study provides important information about the changes caused by diabetes in the ocular microenvironment. These diabetes-induced alterations in the murine vitreous proteome were mitigated by IL-6 trans-signaling inhibition. These findings further support that IL-6 trans-signaling may be an important therapeutic target for the treatment of DR.
JOURNAL OF CURRENT GLAUCOMA PRACTICE · 2019-01-01 · 6 citations
articleOpen accessThe aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDI) with a broad spectrum epigenetic activity, in improving filtration bleb survival as an adjunct therapy to glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS) in the rabbit model. Materials and methods: Eighteen New Zealand White rabbits underwent GFS in the left eye and were randomized to receive either a subconjunctival (SC) injection of 0.1 mL SAHA (9.25 g/mL) or balanced saline solution (BSS) at the end of surgery, or a 3-minute intraoperative topical application of 0.4 mg/mL mitomycin-C (MMC). Bleb survival and histology were compared. Results: Blebs of rabbits receiving injections of SAHA survived an average (mean SD) of 23.2 2.7 days. SAHA rabbits showed a nonsignificant improvement over rabbits that received an injection of BSS, which had a mean survival time of 19.7 2.7 days (p = 0.38) according to a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Eyes receiving intraoperative topical MMC survived an average of 32.5 3.3 days, which is significantly longer than both the control group treated with BSS (p = 0.01) and the experimental group treated with the SAHA (p = 0.0495). SAHA was well tolerated and showed no significant avascularity, necrosis, or conjunctival thinning. Conclusion: Although it was well tolerated, a single intraoperative injection of SAHA did not significantly prolong bleb survival in the rabbit model. Clinical significance: Epigenetic adjuncts hold promise for improving GFS outcome; however, future studies must continue to examine different administration protocols and dosages to substantiate their efficacy.
touchREVIEWS in Ophthalmology · 2019-01-01 · 1 citations
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JAMA Ophthalmology · 2018-03-22
article1st authorCorrespondingPLoS ONE · 2018-05-24 · 11 citations
articleOpen accessPURPOSE: To examine the effect of cannula diameter and conjunctival flap method on bleb survival in rabbits undergoing cannula-based glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS). METHODS: Twelve New Zealand White rabbits underwent GFS in both eyes. The twenty-four eyes were divided into four groups. Two of the four groups (N = 12) received limbus-based conjunctival flaps (LBCF), and the other two (N = 12) received fornix-based conjunctival flaps (FBCF). Six FBCF rabbit eyes were implanted with 22-gauge drainage tubes, and the other six were implanted with 26-gauge tubes. Likewise, six LBCF rabbits received 22-gauge drainage tubes and six received 26-gauge tubes. Filtration blebs were evaluated every three days by a masked observer. Bleb failure was defined as the primary endpoint in this study and was recorded after two consecutive flat bleb evaluations. RESULTS: Group 1 (LBCF, 22- gauge cannula) had a mean bleb survival time (Mean ± SD) of 18.7 ± 2.9 days. Group 2 (LBCF, 26-gauge cannula) also had a mean bleb survival time of 18.7 ± 2.9 days. Group 3 (FBCF, 22-gauge cannula) had a mean bleb survival time of 19.2 ± 3.8 days. Group 4 (FBCF, 26-gauge cannula) had a mean bleb survival time of 19.7 ± 4.1 days. A 2-way analysis of variance showed that neither surgical approach nor cannula gauge made a statistically significant difference in bleb survival time (P = 0.634 and P = 0.874). Additionally, there was no significant interaction between cannula gauge and conjunctival flap approach (P = 0.874), suggesting that there was not a combination of drainage gauge and conjunctival flap method that produced superior bleb survival. CONCLUSION: Limbus and fornix-based conjunctival flaps are equally effective in promoting bleb survival using both 22 and 26-gauge cannulas in the rabbit model. The 26-gauge drainage tube may be preferred because its smaller size facilitates the implantation process, reducing the risk of corneal contact.
Intralenticular Ozurdex® – One Year Later
Case Reports in Ophthalmology · 2017-12-21 · 13 citations
articleOpen accessReported here is a case of intralenticular sustained-release dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex®, Allergan, Irvine, CA, USA) present for 1 year with effective treatment of refractory diabetic macular edema without rapid cataract formation. The crystalline lens remained stable for 12 months on exam despite the presence of the steroid-secreting foreign body. The diabetic macular edema resolved on exam and on optical coherence tomography. After 1 year, cataract extraction was uneventfully performed by phacoemulsification for a mild decline in visual acuity. Macular edema remains resolved 2 months following cataract removal. This is the longest reported period of observation of intralenticular Ozurdex in the literature. Ozurdex remains effective despite intralenticular location, and it can have minimal effects on cataract progression.
British Journal of Ophthalmology · 2017-08-16 · 2 citations
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND/AIMS: The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and speed of trainees and experienced glaucoma specialists using the MatchedFlicker software against the manual examination of stereoscopic disc photographs for detecting glaucomatous optic disc change. METHODS: Three experienced glaucoma specialists, two resident ophthalmologists and one glaucoma fellow from multiple institutions independently evaluated the same 140 image pairs from 100 glaucomatous/ocular hypertensive eyes using a handheld stereo viewer and the MatchedFlicker programme. Fifty had progression to glaucoma as determined by the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) Optic Disc Reading Group and endpoint committee, and 50 more were negative controls for progression with photos taken a few minutes apart. Twenty photo pairs from each of the two groups were duplicated for reviewer variability analysis. The initial viewing method was randomised and then alternated for each group of 70 image pairs. Reviewer accuracy and evaluation time for each method were measured. RESULTS: Evaluators averaged 8.6 s faster per image pair (26%) with the MatchedFlicker programme than with the stereo viewer (p=0.0007). Evaluators correctly identified more image pairs when using the MatchedFlicker software over the stereo viewer (p=0.0003). There was no significant difference between the expert and trainee group in speed or overall accuracy for either method. Experts were significantly more consistent than trainees with the duplicate image pairs (p=0.029). Trainees appeared more reluctant to designate eyes as showing glaucoma progression than experts. CONCLUSIONS: Both expert glaucoma specialists and ophthalmologists in various stages of training had greater accuracy and speed with the MatchedFlicker programme than with a handheld stereoscopic viewer.
American Journal of Ophthalmology · 2016-04-01 · 3 citations
articleComparison Among Experts and Trainees for Detection of Glaucomatous Disc Change Using the Computerized MatchedFlicker® Software Verses Stereo Disc Viewing
2015-06-11
article
Frequent coauthors
- 13 shared
Mark B. Sherwood
- 9 shared
Craig Meyers
University of Florida
- 9 shared
Jamie Lea Schaefer
Brown University
- 9 shared
Jeff Min
- 9 shared
Monica A. Levine
University of Florida
- 8 shared
Gina Martorana
University of Florida
- 8 shared
Siva S.R. Iyer
- 8 shared
Kathleen A. Regan
University of Florida
Education
M.D.
University of Florida
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