Comparison of myopia progression among Chinese schoolchildren before and during COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-analysis.

AIM: To compare myopia progression in Chinese schoolchildren before and after the COVID-19 pandemic home confinement. METHODS: This study was done through the data searched from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from January 2022 to March 2023 related to the COVID-19 pandemic home confinement and myopia progression among Chinese schoolchildren. Myopia progression was evaluated by the mean change of spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AL) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sex and regional differences in myopia progression among schoolchildren before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were also analyzed. RESULTS: A total of eight eligible studies were included in this study. There was a significant difference in SER before and during home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic (OR = 0.34; 95%CI = [0.23, 0.44]; Z = 6.39; P < 0.00001), but no significant difference in AL (OR = 0.16; 95%CI = [- 0.09, 0.41]; Z = 1.22, P = 0.22). There was a significant difference in SER between male and female groups during the COVID-19 home confinement (OR = 0.10; 95%CI = [0.00, 0.19]; Z = 1.98, P = 0.05). As for regional analysis, there was a significant difference in SER between urban and rural areas during the COVID-19 quarantine period (OR = -0.56; 95%CI = [- 0.88, - 0.25]; Z = 3.50, P = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the time before the COVID-19 home confinement, a higher rate of myopic progression among Chinese schoolchildren during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic was demonstrated.

Comparison of accuracy of intraocular lens power calculation for eyes with an axial length greater than 29.0 mm.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the accuracy of six different formulas (Emmetropia Verifying Optical version 2.0, Kane, SRK/T, Barrett Universal II, Haigis and Olsen) in intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation for extremely long eyes. METHODS: Retrospective case-series. Seventy-three eyes with axial length (AL) ≥ 29.0 mm and underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery with Rayner (Hove, UK) 920H IOL implantation from January 2018 to March 2020 were included. Prediction errors (PE) were calculated and compared between different formulas to evaluate the accuracy of formulas. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate factors associated with the PE. RESULTS: The Kane formula had mean prediction error close to zero (- 0.01 ± 0.51 D, P = 0.841), whereas the EVO 2.0, SRK/T, Barrett Universal II, Haigis and Olsen formulas produced hyperopic outcomes (all P < 0.001). The median absolute error [inter-quartile range] produced by the EVO 2.0, Kane, Barrett Universal II and Olsen formulas showed no significant difference (0.33 D [0.48], 0.30 D [0.44], 0.34 D [0.39], 0.29 D [0.37], respectively, pairwise comparison P > 0.05), but was significantly lower than that of the SRK/T and Haigis formulas (0.85 D [0.66], 0.80 D [0.54], respectively, pairwise comparison P < 0.001). The AL and the PE produced by the SRK/T formula were significantly positively correlated in extremely myopic eyes (ß = 0.248, P < 0.001), whereas the trend was not demonstrated in other formulas. CONCLUSIONS: For cataract patients with axial length greater than 29.0 mm, the accuracy of the EVO 2.0, Kane, Barrett Universal II and Olsen formulas is comparable and significantly better than that of the SRK/T and Haigis formulas.

Assessment of the influence of keratometry on intraocular lens calculation formulas in long axial length eyes.

PURPOSE: Hyperopic surprises tend to occur in axial myopic eyes and other factors including corneal curvature have rarely been analyzed in cataract surgery, especially in eyes with long axial length (≥ 26.0 mm). Thus, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the influence of keratometry on four different formulas (SRK/T, Barrett Universal II, Haigis and Olsen) in intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation for long eyes. METHODS: Retrospective case series. A total of 180 eyes with axial length (AL) ≥ 26.0 mm were divided into 3 keratometry (K) groups: K ≤ 42.0 D (Flat), K ≥ 46.0 D (Steep), 42.0 < K < 46.0 D (Average), and all the eyes were underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery with Rayner (Hove, UK) 920H IOL implantation. Prediction errors (PE) were compared between different formulas to assess the accuracy of different formulas. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate factors associated with the PE. RESULTS: The mean absolute error was higher for all evaluated formulas in Steep group (ranging from 0.66 D to 1.02 D) than the Flat (0.34 D to 0.67 D) and Average groups (0.40 D to 0.74D). The median absolute errors predicted by Olsen formula were significantly lower than that predicted by Haigis formula (0.42 D versus 0.85 D in Steep and 0.29 D versus 0.69 D in Average) in Steep and Average groups (P = 0.012, P < 0.001, respectively). And the Olsen formula demonstrated equal accuracy to the Barrett II formula in Flat and Average groups. The predictability of the SRK/T formula was affected by the AL and K, while the predictability of Olsen and Haigis formulas was affected by the AL only. CONCLUSIONS: Steep cornea has more influence on the accuracy of IOL power calculation than the other corneal shape in long eyes. Overall, both the Olsen and Barrett Universal II formulas are recommended in long eyes with unusual keratometry.

Performance of brief ICF-sleep disorders and obesity core set in obstructive sleep apnea patients.

BACKGROUND: Clinical questionnaires are mainly applied as screening tools for identification of the Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Little attention has been paid to assess the body functions and health status of the patients. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was designed for better understanding and describing functioning and disability of patients. This study adopted the Brief ICF-Sleep Disorders and Obesity Core Set to evaluate the impairment of functioning and health status of OSA patients. METHODS: Five hundred ninety-two participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using Brief ICF-Sleep Disorders and Obesity Core Set Polysomnography was performed and basic characteristics of the patients were recorded. RESULTS: The scores for the component Body Functions and Code b130, b134, b140, b440, b530, s330, d160, d240, d450 of the two core sets were significantly different among the patients divided by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) or oxygen saturation (SaO2) nadir, but the frequency of code s330, d160, d240, d450 was low. The Body Functions component of the both sets were closely related to neck circumference (NC), body mass index (BMI), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of the OSA patients. Body Functions of the Brief ICF-Sleep Disorders performed better with a threshold of 4 with sensitivity, specificity and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) as 0.62, 0.74, 0.68(AHI ≥ 5), 0.69, 0.63, 0.66 (AHI ≥ 15), 0.75, 0.56, 0.66 (AHI ≥ 30), 0.56, 0.70, 0.63 (SaO2 nadir≤90%), 0.67, 0.66, 0.66 (SaO2 nadir<85%), 0.71, 0.59, 0.65 (SaO2 nadir<80%), separately. CONCLUSION: The Body Functions component of both two sets could be an evaluation tool of impairment of body functions for OSA patients. The Brief ICF-Sleep Disorders Body Functions component performed better with a threshold of 4 and might provide a new insight for physicians to assess OSA patients.

Persistence of severe global inequalities in the burden of blindness and vision loss from 1990 to 2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

AIMS: To assess the global burden and economic inequalities in the distribution of blindness and vision loss between 1990 and 2019. METHODS: A secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. Data for disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to blindness and vision loss were extracted from the GBD 2019. Data for gross domestic product per capita were extracted from the World Bank database. Slope index of inequality (SII) and concentration index were computed to assess absolute and relative cross-national health inequality, respectively. RESULTS: Countries with high, high-middle, middle, low-middle and low Socio-demographic Index (SDI) had decline of age-standardised DALY rate of 4.3%, 5.2%, 16.0%, 21.4% and 11.30% from 1990 to 2019, respectively. The poorest 50% of world citizens bore 59.0% and 66.2% of the burden of blindness and vision loss in 1990 and 2019, respectively. The absolute cross-national inequality (SII) fell from -303.5 (95% CI -370.8 to -236.2) in 1990 to -256.0 (95% CI -288.1 to -223.8) in 2019. The relative inequality (concentration index) for global blindness and vision loss remained essentially constant between 1991 (-0.197, 95% CI -0.234 to -0.160) and 2019 (-0.193, 95% CI -0.216 to -0.169). CONCLUSION: Though countries with middle and low-middle SDI were the most successful in decreasing burden of blindness and vision loss, a high level of cross-national health inequality persisted over the past three decades. More attention must be paid to the elimination of avoidable blindness and vision loss in low-income and middle-income countries.

Progression and incidence of myopia among schoolchildren in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period: a prospective cohort study in Shantou, China.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the progression and incidence of myopia in Chinese schoolchildren in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period in Shantou, China. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Shantou Myopia Study, China. PARTICIPANTS: 1-year follow-up data were available for 621 881 schoolchildren (301 999 females). Data on spherical equivalent refraction (SER) were collected. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were myopia progression and incidence. Myopia progression is defined as a change of SER towards the negative direction in the follow-up visit. Incidence is defined as the proportion of schoolchildren who were not myopic but developed myopia in the follow-up study. Age, sex and SER at baseline were evaluated as associated factors for myopia burden, which were defined as the secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Mean progression of SER was -0.35±0.97 D for the population (ranging from -0.06 D at 18 years of age to -0.46 D at 11 years of age), with a rapid myopic progression for students at the age of 10-12 years (-0.50 D in girls and -0.44 D in boys). A myopic shift greater than -0.50 D/year occurred in 256 299 eyes (41.21%). Myopic progression in refraction was associated with the 10-12 years age groups (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.39 to 1.45, p<0.001), female sex (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.10, p<0.001) and higher refractive errors at baseline (OR>1.00, p<0.001). The annual incidence of myopia among schoolchildren was 24.85%, with an incidence of 26.69% in girls and 23.02% in boys. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed an annual myopia progression of -0.35 D and an incidence of 24.85% among schoolchildren in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. Myopia progressed rapidly at 10-12 years of age, with -0.50 D in girls and -0.44 D in boys. The incidence was higher for children aged 10-11 years and for girls.

The Tactile-Visual Conflict Processing and Its Modulation by Tactile-Induced Emotional States: An Event-Related Potential Study.

This experiment used event-related potentials (ERPs) to study the tactile-visual information conflict processing in a tactile-visual pairing task and its modulation by tactile-induced emotional states. Eighteen participants were asked to indicate whether the tactile sensation on their body matched or did not match the expected tactile sensation associated with the object depicted in an image. The type of tactile-visual stimuli (matched vs. mismatched) and the valence of tactile-induced emotional states (positive vs. negative) were manipulated following a 2 × 2 factorial design. Electrophysiological analyses revealed a mismatched minus matched negative difference component between 420 and 620 ms after stimulus onset in the negative tactile-induced emotional state condition. This ND420-620 component was considered as a sign of the cross-modal conflict processing during the processing of incongruent tactile-visual information. In contrast, no significant mismatched minus matched negative difference component was found in the positive tactile-induced emotional state condition. Together, these results support the hypothesis that a positive emotional state induced by a positive tactile stimulation improves tactile-visual conflict processing abilities.

Development and Evaluation of the Prognostic Nomogram to Predict Refractive Error in Patients With Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma Who Underwent Cataract Surgery Combined With Goniosynechialysis.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of different intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas and develop prognostic nomograms to predict the risk of postoperative refractive error in primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) patients. Methods: A total of 111 eyes with PACG underwent goniosynechialysis combined with phacoemulsification and IOL implantation were included. SRK/T, Barrett II, Hoffer Q, and Kane formulas were used to predict postoperative refraction. Prediction error (PE) and absolute predictive error (APE) produced by the four formulas were calculated and compared. An APE >0.50 D was defined as the event. Binary logistic regression analysis and prognostic nomogram models were conducted to investigate reliable predictors associated with postoperative refraction. Results: The Kane (-0.06 D) and Barrett II (-0.07 D) formulas had mean prediction error close to zero (p = 0.44, p = 0.41, respectively). The Hoffer Q and SRK/T produced significantly myopic outcomes (p = 0.003, p = 0.013, respectively). The percentage of eyes within ± 0.5 D was 49.5% (55/111), 44.1% (49/111), 43.2% (48/111), and 49.5% (54/111), for the Kane, Barrett II, Hoffer Q, and SRK/T formula, respectively. Nomogram showed that AL had the greatest impact on the refractive outcomes, indicating a shorter preoperative AL is associated with a greater probability of refractive error event. The area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) of the nomogram for the Kane, Barrett II, Hoffer Q, and SRK/T was 0.690, 0.701, 0.708, and 0.676, respectively. Conclusions: The Kane and Barrett II formulas were comparable, and they outperformed Hoffer Q and SRK/T in the total eyes with PACG receiving cataract surgery combined with goniosynechialysis. The developed nomogram models can effectively predict the occurrence of postoperative refractive error events.

Respiratory physicians' awareness and referral of pulmonary rehabilitation in China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has demonstrated physiological, symptom reducing, psychosocial, and health care savings benefits in multiple outcome areas for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Physicians' PR awareness and PR referral practices are key in PR promotion. However, PR awareness and referral among respiratory physicians in China have rarely been studied. This study aims to explore respiratory physicians' perceptions towards PR and assess the referral of PR in China. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed via WeChat and emails to respiratory physicians in hospitals to assess their attitudes toward and knowledge of PR and identify treatment barriers. The study was conducted from June through October 2019. RESULTS: As reported in the 520 questionnaires collected through October 2019 most respondents had heard about PR, and many had knowledge of PR practice, but relatively few had referred patients to PR before having responded to the survey. Education, region of practice, and duration of practice are significant factors that influenced the participating respiratory physicians' awareness of PR. The percentage of referral was influenced by physicians' education, region, and duration of practice. The absence of PR facilities was the main barrier to respiratory physicians' referral of patients to PR. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese respiratory physicians' awareness of PR and referral to PR remain insufficient to support the delivery of PR to patients with chronic respiratory diseases. PR training for respiratory physicians and building PR centers are necessary to remedy these conditions.

Effects of volume-assured pressure support noninvasive ventilation in stable COPD with chronic respiratory failure: Meta-analysis and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving long-term home noninvasive ventilation (NIV) may slow down the progression to acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), however, the problem with respiratory instability during sleep diminished was persisted, which may reduce the effectiveness of NIV and the patient's quality of life. A novel NIV mode with volume-assured pressure support (VAPS) has been gradually applied to improve sleep quality in COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of VAPS in stable COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure. METHODS: We performed an electronic literature search for RCTs from January 2008 to October 2018. Studies investigating the effects of VAPS in stable COPD patients with chronic respiratory failure were conducted, and the following primary outcomes were reviewed: effectiveness of ventilation, sleep quality, and quality of life. RESULTS: Five studies with 150 subjects were identified. While questionnaire scores showed significant improvements in the VAPS mode, no significant difference was found in the effectiveness of ventilation (pH, MD = 0.01 [95% CI -0.01 to 0.02, P = 0.27]; PaCO2, MD = 1.25 [95% CI -1.45 to 3.95, P = 0.37]; PaO2, MD = 3.14 [95% CI -0.76 to 7.05, P = 0.11]; mSaO2, MD = 0.23 [95% CI -1.22 to 1.67, P = 0.76]; mPtcCO2, MD = 3.03 [95% CI -6.06 to- 0.60, P = 0.10]). The VAPS mode did not seem to ameliorate sleep quality and quality of life. CONCLUSION: The VAPS mode had similar efficacy as the pressure-support (PS) mode. However, VAPS could significantly improve the patients' subjective feelings.

Event-Related Brain Potentials Associated With the Olfactory-Visual Stroop Effect and Its Modulation by Olfactory-Induced Emotional States.

This study investigated the event-related brain potentials associated with the olfactory-visual cross-modal Stroop effect and its modulation by olfactory-induced and self-reported affective states. Eighteen healthy participants were presented with an olfactory stimulus and the image of a plant, and they had to categorize the olfactory attribute of the image as "aromatic" or "pungent" by pressing the relevant button as quickly as possible. The type of olfactory-visual stimuli (congruent or incongruent) and the valence of the olfactory-induced emotional states (positive or negative) were manipulated following a 2 × 2 factorial design. Interference effects were observed at the behavioral and the electrophysiological levels: response times recorded in the incongruent condition were higher than those observed in the congruent condition; an incongruent minus congruent negative difference component was discovered between 350 and 550 ms after stimulus onset in the negative-but not in the positive-olfactory-induced emotional state condition. This ND350-550 component was interpreted as reflecting the amount of selective attention involved in the olfactory-visual cross-modal Stroop effect. These results are also consistent with a facilitatory effect of positive emotional state on selective attention which could reduce brain potentials associated with the cross-modal interference effect.

The Reliability and Validity of the "Activity and Participation" Component in the Brief ICF Core Set for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases Based on Rasch Analysis.

Purpose: To analyze the reliability and validity of the "activity and participation" component of the brief international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF) core set for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using a Multi-faceted Rasch model. Patients and Methods: A total of 103 patients with COPD were selected by two raters to evaluate their ability levels in the four categories of the "activity and participation" component of brief ICF core set for COPD. The Multi-faceted Rasch model was used for data analysis. The analysis software used FACETS (Minifac) 3.67.0. Results: The "activity and participation" of brief ICF core set for COPD had a high internal consistency (separation index of 5.08, reliability of 0.96, P <0.05) and good inter-rater reliability (mean-square fit statistic range was 0.97-1.04, the separation index was 0.00, the reliability was 0.00, P >0.05), the construct validity was good (mean-square fit statistic range was 0.79-1.36), and the consistency of each category measurement was high (the separation index was 1.70, the reliability was 0.74). Conclusion: The "activity and participation" of brief ICF core set for COPD has good reliability and validity, which can be used to test the daily activities of patients with COPD.

Effects of Tai Chi training on the physical and mental health status in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Tai Chi is a systematic whole body movement developed in ancient China. It plays an increasingly important role in the field of pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our review aimed to explore the impact of Tai Chi on the physical and mental health of patients with COPD. METHODS: We searched several English and Chinese databases and used the combination of subject words and free words to search for available literature from the establishment of the library until August 28, 2018. Two researchers screened studies and collected the data independently. The study inclusion criteria included: (I) patients diagnosed with COPD; (II) Tai Chi or Tai Chi Qigong as an intervention in addition to routine treatment; (III) routine treatment with or without exercises as control group. The primary outcomes were lung function, exercise capacity and health status; (IV) randomized controlled trials. RESULTS: Sixteen articles were included from 2009 to 2018 (n=1,096). The average time duration of Tai Chi program was 53.4 minutes each session, 4.13 sessions a week for a total of 4.13 months. Comparing with control group, Tai Chi group improved some lung function (forced volume capacity: mean difference =0.12, 95% CI: 0.03-0.21), (forced expiratory volume in 1s: mean difference =0.15, 95% CI: 0.08-0.21), enhanced 6-minute walking distance score (mean difference =30.78, 95% CI: 15.15-46.42), decreased COPD Assessment Test score (mean difference =-5.00, 95% CI: -7.51 to -2.50), decreased St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score (mean difference =-8.66, 95% CI: -14.60 to -2.72), enhanced Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire score (mean difference =2.16, 95% CI: 1.49-2.83), decreased Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score(anxiety: mean difference =-1.04, 95% CI: -1.58 to -0.51; depression: mean difference =-1.25, 95% CI: -1.77 to -0.73). Comparing with exercise group, Tai Chi group statistically enhanced 6-minute walking distance score (mean difference =7.77, 95% CI: 2.63-12.91). CONCLUSIONS: Tai Chi may represent an appropriate alternative or complement to standard rehabilitation programs. However, whether Tai Chi is better than pulmonary rehabilitation exercise has not been determined.

Exosomal Noncoding RNAs and Tumor Drug Resistance.

Tumor drug resistance is a major challenge in the treatment of cancer. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNA) play a role in the progression of drug resistance. Recent studies have indicated that exosomes, with their in vitro and in vivo compatibility, are the best natural carrier of ncRNA, and their transport of ncRNA into cells could regulate drug resistance. Exosomal ncRNA impact drug resistance through participation in drug efflux, regulation of signaling pathways, and modification of the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we evaluate the mechanism of exosomal ncRNA related to tumor drug resistance, their role in different tumors, and potential clinical applications.