A Genetic Variant in TGFBR3-CDC7 Is Associated with Visual Field Progression in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Patients from Singapore.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether known genetic loci for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) are associated with visual field (VF) progression in patients from a Singaporean Chinese population. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with 5 or more reliable VF measurements who were being followed up at a Singapore hospital. METHODS: Visual field progression was identified using Progressor software version 3.7 (Medisoft, Leeds, United Kingdom) and defined by pointwise linear regression (PLR) criteria as follows: any 2 contiguous points in the same hemifield progressing (≤-1.00 dB/year for inner points and ≤-2.00 dB/year for edge points; P < 0.01). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their proxies from 10 POAG-associated loci (CAV1-CAV2, CDKN2B-AS1, SIX1-SIX6, an intergenic region on chromosome 8q22, ABCA1, GAS7, AFAP1, GMDS, PMM2, and TGFBR3-CDC7) identified from genome-wide association studies were tested for association with VF progression using logistic regression with an additive genetic model adjusting for age, gender, average intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), and baseline vertical cup-to-disc ratio (VCDR). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Visual field progression. RESULTS: Of the 1334 patients included in the study, 469 subjects (35.1%) completed 5 or more reliable VF measurements (mean follow-up, 9.01 years; standard deviation, 5.00 years). The mean age of patients was 59.6 years (standard deviation, 9.0 years); 305 patients were men and all were Chinese. The average IOP in eyes fulfilling PLR progression was 16.5 mmHg versus 17.7 mmHg in those who did not (P = 0.52). Univariate analysis revealed that increased VCDR (P = 0.003), reduced CCT (P = 0.045), and reduced superior and inferior retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (P = 0.01, respectively) were associated with VF progression. No clinical or structural features were associated significantly with VF progression on multivariate analysis. The rs1192415 index SNP in TGFBR3-CDC7 (P = 0.002; odds ratio, 6.71 per risk allele) was the only SNP associated with VF progression. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of the index SNP rs1192415 (TGFBR3-CDC7) was associated with VF progression in POAG patients. These findings warrant further investigation in independent cohorts.

Refractory Elevated Intracranial Pressure (ICP) in the Setting of a Traumatic Cerebral Sinus Venous Thrombosis (CSVT).

The management of patients with elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) requires a systematic approach. After the failure of tier zero, tier one, and tier two therapies, all potential secondary causes of elevated ICP must be reviewed. Up to 28% of patients with blunt traumatic brain injury (TBI) develop cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT), among these, patients up to 55% have occlusive thrombi. A literature review revealed a dearth of specific treatment guidelines in this scenario. Here, we present one such case of refractory elevated ICP due to occlusive CSVT secondary to skull fractures. Initial CT venogram (CTV) on admission showed an occlusive CSVT; however, subsequent CTV on the post-trauma day (PTD) 4 and 6 showed non-occlusive thrombi only. The risks of worsening acute TBI-related hemorrhage with systemic anticoagulation versus the benefit of treating an occlusive CSVT are discussed here. In cases of occlusive CSVT with refractory elevated ICP and stable intracranial hemorrhage, the benefit of anticoagulation may outweigh the overall risks of hemorrhage expansion as prolonged uncontrolled ICP elevation is inevitably fatal. In this case, anticoagulation started on PTD 6, led to the resolution of ICP elevation and an excellent outcome for the patient, who was discharged to an acute rehab center, subsequently discharged home with no residual motor deficits, and was able to resume employment. Further prospective trials are necessary to develop guidelines for the management of occlusive CSVT in patients with severe TBI and to determine which patient populations are likely to benefit from early initiation of therapeutic anticoagulation.

Physical Activity Improves Anxiety and Apathy in Early Parkinson's Disease: A Longitudinal Follow-Up Study.

Objective: In a prospective study, we investigated the association between physical activity and various motor, non-motor outcomes, and quality of life in early Parkinson's disease (PD) participants in the PD Longitudinal Singapore Study. Background: Prospective studies that examined the association between physical activity and motor and non-motor domains in early PD are lacking. Methods: 121 PD participants were followed-up prospectively to evaluate the association of physical activity with various symptom domains. The Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) was used to measure physical activity annually. PD-related symptoms were categorized by motor, non-motor, and quality of life measures. Multivariate regression with gain score analysis was performed to understand the association of baseline PASE scores with the change of each variable at 1-year follow-up. Results: Higher baseline PASE scores (greater activity) were associated with a younger age, lower MDS-UPDRS motor scores, a smaller levodopa equivalent daily dose, better attention and memory scores, and better QoL. Activity scores in early PD declined on follow-up. Multivariate analysis revealed higher baseline physical activity to be associated with decreased anxiety and apathy scores at 1-year follow-up, after adjusting for demographic variables and medications. Conclusion: We demonstrated that higher baseline physical activity was associated with improved anxiety and apathy symptoms in early PD over a 1-year period.

Patient Satisfaction With the Family Physician Program in Sabzevar, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patient satisfaction with the family physician program is an important factor for more favorable treatment results. Evaluation of patient satisfaction improves the services and approximates them to patient's preferences. The family physician program has been executed since late March, 2005 in Iran. This study aimed to measure patient satisfaction with family physician services and determines factors affecting the level of satisfaction in order to propose appropriate suggestions for providing medical services based on patients' expectations. METHODS: Forty-one centers provide healthcare services in rural and urban areas. The participants in this study comprised 1263 people. The data were collected by an inventory with 11 items about demographic specifications, waiting time and the importance of physician's sex and 40 items for assessing the level of patient satisfaction. RESULTS: A total of 1199 patients participated in the current study, 72.1% of them were female and 19.6% waited 10-20 minutes for receiving services. About 55.72% of the participants chose high and very high for the items of the inventory. Total satisfaction with the family physician program decreased with age (p-value=0.029).Moreover, total satisfaction did not show any significant differences in different groups in terms of sex, place of residence, education level and marital status. Also family physicians' sex did not affect patient satisfaction significantly. Based on results of regression model, an increase in patients' age by one year decreased their satisfaction by 0.12 and level of satisfaction in rural patients was lower than that in urban patients by 7.93. CONCLUSIONS: The level of patient satisfaction with family physician services was moderate, which mostly arose from the components of the family physician program and services such as the waiting time, costs, welfare facilities, accessibility and the service-providing team rather than patients' personal characteristics.