Long-term Outcomes of Surgeries for Retinal Detachment Secondary to Parasitic or Viral Infectious Retinitis.

PURPOSE: This study sought to compare the long-term outcomes of surgeries for retinal detachment (RD) secondary to viral or parasitic infectious retinitis. METHODS: A total of 47 eyes that received pars plana vitrectomy with or without scleral buckling due to RD secondary to polymerase chain reaction-proven viral (cytomegalovirus, varicella zoster virus, and herpes zoster virus) or parasitic (toxoplasma and toxocara) retinitis from October 1, 2006, to June 30, 2023, in a single medical center were retrospectively enrolled. RESULTS: Mean follow-up period was 59.03 ± 55.24 months in viral retinitis and 34.80 ± 33.78 months in parasitic retinitis after primary reattachment surgery. During follow-up, nine eyes (24.3%) with viral retinitis and five eyes (50.0%) with parasitic retinitis developed retinal redetachment. Visual acuity success at final follow-up was achieved in 19 eyes (51.4%) with viral retinitis and six eyes (60.0%) with parasitic retinitis (p = 0.64). The incidence of retinal redetachment during the 1st postoperative year was significantly higher in parasitic retinitis compared with viral retinitis (crude incidence, 0.21 vs. 0.85; p = 0.02). Hazard ratio analysis adjusted for age and sex showed 4.58-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.22-17.27; p = 0.03) increased risk of retinal redetachment in parasitic retinitis compared with viral retinitis during the 1st postoperative year. Tamponade with silicone oil and preoperative diagnostic vitrectomy were associated with significantly decreased risk of retinal redetachment in patients with parasitic retinitis. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with RD secondary to viral retinitis, RD secondary to parasitic retinitis showed higher incidence of retinal redetachment during the 1st postoperative year. Tamponade with silicone oil and preoperative diagnostic vitrectomy were associated with significantly decreased risk of retinal redetachment in patients with parasitic retinitis.

Comparison of two different contrast sensitivity devices in young adults with normal visual acuity with or without refractive surgery.

This study investigated the reliability and correlation of two contrast sensitivity test (CST) devices in young adults with normal visual acuity, with or without refractive surgery. 57 patients aged 20-39 years who received both manual (OPTEC-6500) and automated CST (CGT-2000) examinations from June 19 to July 24, 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients with corrected visual acuity under 20/20 or history of ocular surgery other than refractive surgery were excluded. 82 eyes of 41 patients (40 eyes with and 42 without history of refractive surgery) were enrolled. Mean time taken to complete each examination was 396.4 ± 20.4 and 286.8 ± 2.3 s using manual and automated CST, respectively (P < 0.001). Patients who underwent refractive surgery had significantly decreased area under the log contrast sensitivity formula (AULCSF) in mesopic compared with photopic conditions in automated CST examinations (AULCSF difference 0.415 vs. 0.323 in patients with and without refractive surgery, P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference in manual CST examinations. Patients who reported decreased subjective night vision had significantly decreased AULCSF in automated CST examinations, but there was no significant difference in manual CST examinations. Compared with manual CST, automated CST was quicker and correlated well with decrease in subjective night vision.

Analysis of keratometric measurements in accordance with axial length in an aged population.

To investigate keratometric measurements according to axial length in an aged population. Patients requiring cataract surgery with keratometric measurements from four different ophthalmic devices (autorefractor/keratometer, Scheimpflug imaging, corneal topography/ray-tracing aberrometry, and partial coherence interferometry) between January 2016 and March 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. Cases for which four ophthalmic devices were deployed in the same order a day were included in this investigation. The corneal curvature of the flattest and steepest meridian, mean corneal curvature, corneal astigmatism, steepest axis location, and axial length were evaluated. In total, 250 eyes (137 patients) were included in the analysis. A negative correlation was found between mean corneal curvature and axial length, with correlation coefficients of 0.587, 0.592, 0.588, 0.591, 0.588, and 0.562 for autorefractor/keratometer, Scheimpflug imaging, corneal topography/ray-tracing aberrometry, partial coherence interferometry, total corneal refractive power of Scheimpflug imaging, and simulated keratometry of corneal topography/ray-tracing aberrometry measurements, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found for corneal astigmatism according to axial length. In axial length group of less than 26.0 mm, negative correlation was found between axial length and mean frontal corneal curvature while no correlation was found between axial length and corneal astigmatism. All four ophthalmic devices showed good inter-device reliability for mean corneal curvature but not corneal astigmatism.

Associations of hypertension burden on subsequent dementia: a population-based cohort study.

In this nationwide cohort study, we assessed the effects of hypertension burden and blood pressure (BP) control on dementia in different age subgroups. From the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening cohort from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2013, we enrolled 428,976 subjects aged 40-79 years without previous diagnosis of dementia or stroke. During a mean follow-up of 7.3 ± 1.5 years, 9435 (2.2%) were diagnosed with dementia. Per 10 mmHg increase in systolic BP (SBP), risk of dementia was increased by 22% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-1.30) in subjects aged 40-59 years and 8% (95% CI 1.04-1.11) in subjects aged 60-69 years. No significant associations were observed in subjects aged ≥ 70 years. Among subjects aged 40-59 years, both vascular and Alzheimer's dementia risks were increased with increasing SBP. Increasing hypertension burden (proportion of days with increased BP) was associated with higher dementia risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.09 per 10% increase, 95% CI 1.08-1.10). Among patients with baseline SBP ≥ 140 mmHg, optimal follow-up SBP (120-139 mmHg) was associated with decreased dementia risk (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.50-0.95). Hypertension burden was associated with higher risks of dementia. Adequate BP control was associated with lower risk of dementia in individuals aged < 70 years.

Long-term PM2.5 exposure and the clinical application of machine learning for predicting incident atrial fibrillation.

Clinical impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution on incident atrial fibrillation (AF) had not been well studied. We used integrated machine learning (ML) to build several incident AF prediction models that include average hourly measurements of PM2.5 for the 432,587 subjects of Korean general population. We compared these incident AF prediction models using c-index, net reclassification improvement index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement index (IDI). ML using the boosted ensemble method exhibited a higher c-index (0.845 [0.837-0.853]) than existing traditional regression models using CHA2DS2-VASc (0.654 [0.646-0.661]), CHADS2 (0.652 [0.646-0.657]), or HATCH (0.669 [0.661-0.676]) scores (each p < 0.001) for predicting incident AF. As feature selection algorithms identified PM2.5 as a highly important variable, we applied PM2.5 for predicting incident AF and constructed scoring systems. The prediction performances significantly increased compared with models without PM2.5 (c-indices: boosted ensemble ML, 0.954 [0.949-0.959]; PM-CHA2DS2-VASc, 0.859 [0.848-0.870]; PM-CHADS2, 0.823 [0.810-0.836]; or PM-HATCH score, 0.849 [0.837-0.860]; each interaction, p < 0.001; NRI and IDI were also positive). ML combining readily available clinical variables and PM2.5 data was found to predict incident AF better than models without PM2.5 or even established risk prediction approaches in the general population exposed to high air pollution levels.

Understanding the immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases by animal studies using gene modulation: A comprehensive review.

Autoimmune diseases are clinical syndromes that result from pathogenic inflammatory responses driven by inadequate immune activation by T- and B-cells. Although the exact mechanisms of autoimmune diseases are still elusive, genetic factors also play an important role in the pathogenesis. Recently, with the advancement of understanding of the immunological and molecular basis of autoimmune diseases, gene modulation has become a potential approach for the tailored treatment of autoimmune disorders. Gene modulation can be applied to regulate the levels of interleukins (IL), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), interferon-γ and other inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting these cytokine expressions using short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) or by inhibiting cytokine signaling using small molecules. In addition, gene modulation delivering anti-inflammatory cytokines or cytokine antagonists showed effectiveness in regulating autoimmunity. In this review, we summarize the potential target genes for gene or immunomodulation in autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). This article will give a new perspective on understanding immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases not only in animals but also in human. Emerging approaches to investigate cytokine regulation through gene modulation may be a potential approach for the tailored immunomodulation of some autoimmune diseases near in the future.

Prevalence and Associated Stroke Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients With Atrial Fibrillation　- A Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, little is known regarding the risk of ischemic stroke in HIV-infected individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF).Methods and Results:From the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2016, we analyzed 962,116 patients with prevalent non-valvular AF aged ≥18 years. The overall HIV prevalence in AF patients was 0.17% (1,678 of 962,116). Oral anticoagulant (OAC)-naïve non-valvular AF (NVAF) patients with HIV had increased risks of ischemic stroke/systemic embolism (SE) [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21-1.54], and major bleeding (adjusted HR 1.29; 95% CI, 1.15-1.46), compared with those without HIV. The incidence of ischemic stroke/SE in NVAF patients with HIV without any risk factors was similar to that of those without HIV at intermediate risk (i.e., male CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1) (2.04 vs. 2.18 events per 100 person-years). However, the use of OACs in AF patients with HIV was suboptimal, being only 8.9% at the time of AF diagnosis and 31.8% throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: The risks of ischemic stroke/SE and major bleeding were significantly higher in HIV-infected patients compared with non-HIV-infected patients with AF. Despite this, the actual use of OACs among AF patients with HIV was suboptimal.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Prevalence and Associated Stroke Risks in a Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: There have been no prior nationwide reports on the prevalence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) among patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (AF). It is also unclear how much stroke risk is attributable to HCM compared with other stroke risks in patients with AF. This study assessed the prevalence of HCM among non-valvular AF (NVAF) patients and to assess the magnitude of increase in stroke risk in NVAF patients with HCM, compared with those without HCM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From the Korean National Health Insurance Service database from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2016, we analysed 979,784 patients with prevalent NVAF aged 18 years or older. RESULTS: The overall HCM prevalence in NVAF patients was 1.1%. Although HCM in these patients is an absolute indication for oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescription, only 1,622 (15.3%) patients were receiving OAC at the time of AF diagnosis. Among OAC-naïve patients with NVAF, compared with those without HCM, those with HCM had the increased risk of ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism with clinical variable adjusted hazard ratio of 1.55 (95% confidential interval, 1.48-1.63; p < 0.001). Ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism rate of NVAF patients with HCM without any non-gender CHA2DS2-VASc stroke risk factors was 4.02 per 100 person-years, and approached to that of NVAF patients without HCM with CHA2DS2-VASc score of 3 (4.07 per 100 person-years). CONCLUSION: Among all NVAF patients, 1.1% of patient has HCM. The risk of stroke in NVAF with HCM without any CHA2DS2-VASc stroke risk factors was similar to that of those patients without HCM with CHA2DS2-VASc score of 3. Despite this, the actual use of OACs among NVAF patients with HCM was sub-optimal, relative to their high stroke risk.

Effectiveness and Safety of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic anticoagulation is recommended in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are an alternative to warfarin, but there are limited data to support their use in patients with HCM and AF. We sought to compare thromboembolic events, bleeding, and mortality between NOAC and warfarin in patients with HCM and AF. METHODS: From the Korean National Health Insurance Service database during the period from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2016, we identified a warfarin-treated group of patients with HCM and AF (n = 955) who were compared with a 1:2 propensity-matched NOAC treated group (n = 1,504). RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 16 months, the incidence rates of ischemic stroke and major bleeding were similar between NOAC- and warfarin-treated patients with HCM and AF. NOAC-treated patients had lower incidence rates for all-cause mortality (5.11 and 10.13 events per 100 person-years for NOAC and warfarin groups) and the composite of fatal cardiovascular events (0.77 and 1.80 events per 100 person-years). Compared with warfarin, use of NOACs was associated with a significantly lower risk of all cause-mortality (hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.32-0.57) and composite fatal cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.18-0.82). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with warfarin, patients with HCM and AF on NOACs had similar stroke and major bleeding risks, but lower all-cause mortality and composite fatal cardiovascular events. Our data suggest that patients with HCM and AF can be safely and effectively treated with NOACs.