International journal of ophthalmology最新文献

Aim: To investigate the role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the protein profile of the aqueous humor in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) following intravitreal injection of conbercept.

Methods: This study included 72 PDR patients and 8 cataract patients as controls. PDR patients were divided into 3 groups according to the intervals of 3, 5, and 7d between intravitreal conbercept (IVC, 0.5 mg/0.05 mL) injection and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) performed. Aqueous humor samples were collected before and after IVC and PPV for VEGF and CTGF levels detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The differential proteomics of 10 patients who underwent PPV surgery 5d after IVC and 8 normal controls was studied, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed on the data, and the protein interaction network of 23 differential proteins was studied.

Results: Post-IVC, VEGF levels decreased and CTGF levels increased significantly in aqueous humor, with the CTGF/VEGF ratio rising significantly at all intervals. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) identified differentially expressed proteins between pre- and post-IVC samples. GO and KEGG analyses revealed involvement in immune response, stress response, complement and coagulation cascades, ferroptosis, and PPAR signaling pathways. PPI analysis highlighted key proteins like APOA1, C3, and transferrin (TF). ELISA assay confirmed the differential expression of proteins such as HBA1, SERPINA1, COL1A1, and ACTB, with significant changes in the IVC groups.

Conclusion: The study demonstrates that IVC effectively reduces VEGF levels while increasing CTGF levels, thereby modifying the CTGF/VEGF ratio, and IVC significantly alters the protein profile in the aqueous humor of patients with PDR. Proteomic analysis reveals that these changes are associated with critical biological pathways and protein interactions involved in immune response, stress response, and cellular metabolism.

Aim: To investigate the association between juvenile open angle glaucoma (JOAG) and mental health among Koreans.

Methods: This study used nationally representative data from the 8^th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2021. Glaucoma diagnosis followed the International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology criteria based on glaucomatous structural defects, visual field defects, corrected vision, and intraocular pressure. As outcomes, suicidal behaviors, psychiatric counseling, and depression were evaluated through mental health questionnaires. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression models, adjusting for covariates.

Results: Among 7090 participants, 3446 met the inclusion criteria for analysis, and 88 (2.6%) were diagnosed with open angle glaucoma (OAG). After adjusting for age, sex, and best-corrected visual acuity (VA), participants with OAG were revealed to have significantly higher odds of suicidal behaviors (i.e., ideation, planning, or attempts) compared with those without OAG (OR: 2.70; 95%CI: 1.12-6.54; P=0.028). This association remained significant after further adjustments for socioeconomic status, lifestyle factors, and presence of chronic conditions (P=0.031 and 0.035, respectively). However, there was no significant difference for the other two outcomes, psychiatric counseling and depression. An age-stratified analysis revealed a stronger association between OAG and suicidal behaviors in younger JOAG participants (<40y) than in older OAG participants (≥40y; OR: 3.80 vs 2.22; 95%CI: 0.79-18.22 vs 0.56-8.80, respectively).

Conclusion: OAG patients show a higher risk of suicidal behaviors than those without glaucoma particularly in JOAG patients.

Aim: To evaluate if topical use of αB-crystallin mini-peptides supports corneal healing following flap surgery.

Methods: Cultured corneal cells were treated with fluorescent tagged αB-crystallin mini-peptides to assess its internalization. Cultured corneal cells pre-treated with or without the mini-peptides were exposed to H₂O₂ and cell viability was examined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Elongation of neurites of cultured trigeminal neurones was examined following treatment either with αB-crystallin mini-peptides or protein. Cultured trigeminal neurones were pre-treated either with αB-crystallin mini-peptides or crystallin protein and exposed to H₂O₂ and presence of beading in the dendrites and axons was assessed. Corneal flap surgery was conducted on rabbit cornea and treated topically either with αB-crystallin peptide (0.5 mg/mL thrice daily for 14d) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Corneal healing was evaluated under slit-lamp biomicroscope, mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines were assessed and the corneas were evaluated by histopathology.

Results: Internalization of αB-crystallin mini-peptides was ascertained by the detection of fluorescence within the corneal cells. The MTT assay revealed that treatment with αB-crystallin mini-peptide reduced cell death induced by H₂O₂ treatment. The mini-peptides did not influence the elongation of trigeminal neurites, but significantly (P<0.05) reduced beading in the neurites. In rabbit eye, the treated corneas showed reduced hyper-reflective zones (P<0.05) and suppression in the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Histopathological examination also revealed reduction of inflammatory response in treated corneas.

Conclusion: The αB-crystallin mini-peptides restrict the damage to corneal cells and neurons and aids in corneal healing.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy, timing of retreatment and safety of dexamethasone (DEX) implant on macular edema (ME) secondary to diabetic retinopathy (DME) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO-ME) patients who were refractory to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment.

Methods: This retrospective study included 37 eyes received at least one DEX implant treatment for DME or RVO-ME between January 1, 2019, and January 1, 2023. These refractory DME and RVO-ME cases received at least 5 anti-VEGF injections and failure to gain more than 5 letters or a significant reduction in central retinal thickness (CRT). The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and CRT were measured at baseline, and at 1, 3, 4 and 6mo post-DEX implant injection. Adverse events such as elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and cataract were recorded.

Results: For RVO cases (n=22), there was a significant increase in BCVA from 0.27±0.19 to 0.35±0.20 at 6mo post-DEX injection (P<0.05) and CRT decreased from 472.1±90.6 to 240.5±39.0 µm at 6mo (P<0.0001). DME cases (n=15) experienced an improvement in BCVA from 0.26±0.15 to 0.43±0.20 at 6mo post-DEX implant injection (P=0.0098), with CRT reducing from 445.7±55.7 to 271.7±34.1 µm at 6mo (P<0.0001). Elevated IOP occurred in 45.9% of patients but was well-controlled with topical medications. No cases of cataract or other adverse events were reported.

Conclusion: DEX implants effectively improve BCVA and reduce CRT in refractory DME and RVO-ME. Further research with larger cohorts and longer follow-up periods is needed to confirm these findings and assess long-term outcomes.

Aim: To assess whether there is a possible causal link between the intake of cheese and the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) utilizing a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods: The research data were obtained from summary statistics of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Genetic loci closely related to cheese intake were extracted as instrumental variables (IVs), and DR was the outcome variable. The data were extracted from individuals of European ethnicity. The data of cheese intake consisted of 451 486 samples with 9 851 867 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), while the DR data consisted of 206 234 samples with 16 380 446 SNPs. Sixty-one genetic loci closely related to cheese intake were selected as IVs. MR analysis was performed by inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method and MR-Egger regression respectively. The causal relationship between cheese intake and DR was evaluated using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Egger-intercept test was used to test horizontal pleiotropy and sensitivity analysis was performed by leave-one-out test.

Results: The P value of the IVW method was less than 0.05, indicating a significant negative correlation between cheese intake and DR. MR-Egger regression showed that the intercept was 0.01 with a standard error of 0.022, and a P-value of 0.634, indicating no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy affecting the IVs related to the exposure factors. Besides, heterogeneity tests confirmed the absence of heterogeneity, and the "leave-one-out" sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the results were stable.

Conclusion: Cheese intake is causally negatively correlated with the occurrence of DR, and cheese intake could reduce the risk of DR.

Aim: To synthesize the current body of research regarding the diurnal variations in intraocular pressure (IOP) and corneal biomechanical and morphological parameters, highlighting their significance in various eye conditions.

Methods: A comprehensive review of studies on the diurnal variations of IOP and corneal parameters was conducted. Tonometry findings from various studies were assessed, including the Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) and non-contact tonometers. Data on the variations in central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal curvature, and corneal biomechanics measured by the Ocular Response Analyzer system across different population groups was extracted and analyzed.

Results: In both healthy subjects and those with Fuchs dystrophy, IOP and CCT demonstrate marked diurnal declines. GAT remains the gold standard for tonometry, with the highest reliability. However, its measurements are influenced by CCT. Keratoconus patients and those with pseudoexfoliation showed significant diurnal variations in IOP. The biomechanical parameters, especially corneal hysteresis (CH) and the corneal resistance factor (CRF), largely remain stable throughout the day for most of eye conditions, with some exceptions. Notably, the corneal morphology diurnal variation, particularly curvature, yielded mixed conclusions across studies.

Conclusion: Circadian rhythms significantly influence various corneal parameters, most notably IOP and CCT. Further studies should emphasize standardized approaches larger sample sizes, and delve deeper into less-explored areas, such as the effects of orthokeratology lenses on diurnal biomechanical shifts.

One of the most prevalent disorders that cause blindness worldwide is cataract, and its essence is the visual disorder caused by the opacity of the lens. The significant degree of variation in cataracts and the fact that a variety of factors can impact a patient's lens transparency make it especially crucial to investigate the pathogenesis of cataracts at the molecular level. It has been found that more than 60 genes are linked to the formation of cataracts, and the construction of a transgenic mouse model of cataract similar to the selection of human lens clouding due to a variety of causes has become an important means of studying the pathogenesis of cataract. Therefore, the research on the application of transgenic mice to the molecular pathogenesis of cataracts will be the main topic of this review of the literature.