Utilization of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors on dry eye disease severity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have protective effects against various systemic diseases and neoplasms. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the severity of dry eye disease (DED) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who were treated with SGLT2 inhibitors. Data were obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. Patients with T2DM who were treated with SGLT2 inhibitors were assigned to the SGLT2 group. Each patient in the SGLT2 group was matched to two individuals with T2DM who had not used SGLT2 inhibitors, constituting the control group. The primary outcomes were the development of DED and severe DED. A diagnosis of severe DED was indicated by the usage of cyclosporine. Cox proportional hazard regression was applied to yield adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In the SGLT2 group, 1864 new DED events and 147 severe DED events were recorded. Conversely, 4367 new DED events and 392 severe DED events were recorded in the control group. The incidence (aHR: 0.858, 95% CI: 0.811-0.908, p = 0.0010) and severity (aHR: 0.652, 95% CI: 0.481-0.777, p = 0.0006) of DED were significantly lower in the SGLT2 group than the control group after adjusting for multiple covariates. In subgroup analyses, the incidence and severity of DED were significantly lower in patients younger than 60 years old who were treated with SGLT2 inhibitors than in their older counterparts (p = 0.0008 and 0.0011, respectively). In conclusion, utilization of SGLT2 inhibitors in the T2DM population could reduce both the incidence and severity of DED.

Correlation between Basal Macular Circulation and Following Glaucomatous Damage in Progressed High-Tension and Normal-Tension Glaucoma.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the correlation between basal macular circulation and late structural damage in progressed high-tension glaucoma (HTG) and normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) via optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: Patients who received an OCTA examination were divided into progressed HTG, progressed NTG, and well-controlled HTG (control) groups. Superficial macular vessel density (SmVD), deep macular vessel density (DmVD), foveal avascular zone (FAZ), and flow area of the outer retina and choriocapillaris were obtained by one OCTA device. Associations between macular angiography and glaucoma parameters, including the visual field, retinal nerve fiber layer, and ganglion cell complex, were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 60 eyes from 60 patients were enrolled. The progressed HTG and NTG groups had lower SmVD than the control group, while the progressed NTG group had lower DmVD and a larger FAZ than the control group. The flow area of the outer retina in the progressed HTG group was lower than that of the control. A significant correlation between SmVD and glaucoma parameters was found in the progressed HTG group, while a similar correlation between SmVD and DmVD to glaucoma parameters was observed in the progressed NTG group. CONCLUSION: The progressed HTG and NTG patients showed an impaired vascular intake before significant disease development compared to well-controlled cases.

Genetic association of diabetic retinopathy with long noncoding RNA CDKN2B-AS1 gene polymorphism.

AIM: We attempted to test the influences of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2B antisense RNA 1 (CDKN2B-AS1) gene polymorphisms on the susceptibility to Diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CDKN2B-AS1 gene, rs564398, rs1333048, rs1537373, rs2151280, and rs8181047 were examined in 280 DR cases and 455 DR-free diabetic controls. RESULTS: Among these loci tested, we demonstrated that diabetic carriers of at least one polymorphic allele (G) of rs2151280 (AG and GG; AOR, 1.613; 95% CI, 1.040-2.501; p = 0.033) are more susceptible to proliferative DR but not non-proliferative DR. This genetic association with the risk of developing proliferative DR was further strengthened in homozygotes for the polymorphic allele (G) of rs2151280 (GG; AOR, 2.194; 95% CI, 1.117-4.308; p = 0.023). We detected a significant association of the polymorphic allele (G) of rs2151280 with proliferative DR patients (OR, 1.503; 95% CI, 1.112-2.033; p = 0.008) but not with the entire DR or non-proliferative DR group. Moreover, as compared to those who do not possess the polymorphic allele of rs2151280 (AA), DR patients carrying at least one polymorphic allele of rs2151280 (AG + GG) exhibited a lower glomerular filtration rate and HDL cholesterol level, revealing a promotive role of rs2151280 in renal and cardiovascular complications of diabetes. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our findings implicate an impact of CDKN2B-AS1 gene polymorphisms on the progression of DR.